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    • Apr 9

EPISODE 14 🌺 Solidarity & Movement Building


Step into the intersection where identity, activism, and solidarity converge in a powerful conversation on this episode of the Ichariba Choodee podcast. Join host Mariko Middleton and guest speakers Bean Yogi, JJ Ueunten, and Matt Miyagi Tuten as they explore the rich tapestry of Okinawan identity and its intersections with indigeneity and political organizing.

In this episode, our guests take us on a journey through their personal paths to activism, woven through the vibrant threads of queer and indigenous communities. Drawing from their Okinawan heritage, they illuminate how their cultural roots shape their commitment to collective liberation.

Prepare to dive deep as the conversation navigates through various political landscapes and settler colonialism while shining a light on the path to Palestinian liberation. Discover actionable strategies, such as BDS, that empower listeners to engage in meaningful activism right in their own communities. However, it's not just about politics—it's about finding community in shared struggles and embracing the digital realm as a space for impactful resistance. Tune in and join the movement as we explore the power of solidarity and the journey to meaningful change. Photo used with permission: Mari Megumi, Seiji Igei, and Laura Kina.


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GUEST SPEAKERS


JJ Ueunten (they/them) is a queer Uchinaanchu and Japanese American living on Anishinaabe land (Chicago), and raised on Kānaka Maoli land (Honolulu). They have a massage therapy practice, and work toward collective liberation with Nikkei Uprising.


Bean Yogi (they/them) is an Indigenous, queer, and trans Shimānchu/Uchinānchu person living on Duwamish and Muckleshoot land, in so-called Seattle, WA, US. They work as a public librarian and union steward, and find home in abolitionist movements for collective liberation.


Matthew Miyagi Tuten (he/him) is a Ryukyuan-American socialist organizer dedicated to linking anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggle with class struggle within the U.S. empire. He is also a Graduate Worker and PhD Student of Philosophy at the University of Oregon. He is based in Kalapuya Ilihi (Eugene, OR), but has lived in Tsalaguwetiyi (western North Carolina), and Uchinaa (Okinawa), with ancestral roots in Sashiki Magiri.


Show Notes:


  • *Activism: Active, political engagement

  • *Organizing: Sustained mobilization; collective action

  • Solidarity: A collective effort to support and stand alongside individuals or communities who are marginalized, oppressed, or facing social injustices.

  • *Movement Building: Organizing and motivating people to work towards a collective vision or cause that is important for a community.

  • *Direct Action is a category of activism in which participants act directly, ignoring established (or institutionalized) political and social procedures. IE: Strikes, boycotts, planned marches.

  • *Nonviolent direct action (NVDA) is, at least loosely, based on MLK Jr.’s Principles and Steps of Nonviolence, however, NVDA can, and often will, look a lot different to civil disobedience. 

*We understand that these words can be defined in many different ways, but here is our best attempt to give a definition to these words as a starting point to this discussion. 


MUSIC CREDITS

Ippee nifee deebiru (thank you very much!) to Koji providing this episode's music, ‘Burn It Down, Grow a Garden’! Indie/folk/punk singer-songwriter KOJI was born in Peixtin (Susquehannock land), or so-called Harrisburg, PA. Theyʻve been writing and recording music since childhood—all the while holding true to a collective and collaborative spirit throughout each of their projects.

After a long hiatus, KOJIʻs contribution to 2020ʻs Someday Sunday is the artistʻs first new music since Fury and represents the deepest reflection of the artistʻs community-first ethos-collaborating during the pandemic with friends across multiple time zones in an effort to create space for joy and resistance while raising funds for community membersʻ gender-affirming surgeries and greater access to LGBTQIA+ spaces for those with sensory needs.


PRODUCTION

Huge thank you to Emma Anderson and Joseph Kamiya for audio editing and mastering.


DONATIONS

Donations to Ichariba Choodee are very much appreciated!

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